Why Do You Care So Much?
by xxsarabethxx
Summary: Electra was in an abusive relationship until Zak Bagans saves her on the street. What happens to Electra when Joe's out of the picture? Zak Bagans/OC R&R
1. The Run In

How can a person say that everything will be fine when they don't know for sure? I've had countless people tell me that everything will be fine. You can see what that has led me to.

I'm out of breath. I feel dizzy. The tears are running down my face, but I can't stop. I can hear him behind me. I can feel his presence. I turn down a street and plow straight into someone. Whoever it is feels like a brick wall. I fall down and look up. I'm shocked at who I see standing there.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Sorry about running into you, but I really need to get going."

"Are you sure you're okay? There's blood on your shirt and in your hair."

"Its fine, I promise. Again, sorry."

I go to run, but there's a hand on my shoulder that stops me. I turn around and stop breathing out of fear.

"Electra, what are you doing running? You know that it wasn't your fault, don't you?" Joe, my boyfriend of nine years, asks with a sickening grin.

"Joe, please, I'm sorry. I just needed to get away for a while."

"And you thought running from me would help?"

Without warning Joe punches me across the face hard and I fall to the ground and into another bout of sobbing. This is how it always is. He tries to make it seem like it's not my fault, but then he punishes me for it.

All of a sudden I hear the sound of a fist hitting flesh and look up to see Joe falling to the ground.

"If you don't get out of here now, I'm calling the cops." Zak Bagans says through his teeth.

"You can't do anything you loser. She's my girlfriend; I can do what I want with her."

"Hitting her isn't the answer. She's human, not an object."

Zak reaches into his pocket and gets his phone. That has Joe running as fast as he can in the opposite direction.

Zak puts his phone back in his pocket and kneels down next to me.

"You need to trust me Electra. I'm not going to do anything to hurt you. My friend Nick and his wife Roni will help you if you'll let me get you to their house."

I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders when he says that he will take me to Roni's. She was my best friend in college and her and her parents took me in and helped me through college when my parents died. I had been so excited when I had heard that she had gotten married to Nick, and now I actually get to meet him.

"Okay, do you happen to have Roni's number so I can call her?"

"Um, yea, do you have a cell phone?"

I shake my head no, and he pulls her number up on his phone and hands it to me.

"Thank you," I say as I hit call on the phone.

_"Hello?"_ Nick asks skeptically.

"Is Roni there?"

_ "Yes, but may I ask who this is so she'll know?"_

"Just tell her that it's Lectra. She'll know who I am."

_"Oh, okay, um she'll be right here."_

I hear him yell for Roni and then rustling.

_"Lectra, honey, where are you? Nick said it sounded like you were crying. What's happened? Has he gone too far?"_ Zak can see how overwhelmed I am and grabs the phone.

"Roni, this is Zak. I have her, and she's pretty beat up. That guy should be leaving her alone."

He stops to let Roni talk and I can just imagine her going off on him.

"Okay, I'm bringing her over now."

He waits again.

"Yea, Aaron and I will take Annabelle somewhere. We'll be there soon."

He hangs up and puts his phone back in his pocket.

"Come on. My house is right there. We'll drive over there."

**Okay, this is the edited version of Ch. 1. The next chapter will be all flashback to explain Joe and Electra's friendship and Roni and Electra's friendship.**

**I'm sorry for such a long wait. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this.**

**Much love, **

**xxsarabethxx**


	2. Flashbacks

Nine Years Ago:

"Come on Electra! Why don't you just break up with him? He may say he's not going to do it again, but you know him. Next time will just be worse because you didn't do anything this time."

I stare at Roni. I know she's right, but Joe didn't mean it. He just has a few anger issues, and he loves me. That's what matters, right?

"Roni, it'll be fine. He does it again and I'll put a stop to it."

She huffs and walks off. Roni's one of my best friends. We meet when we had just started college, and we've not left each other's sides since. When my parents died, Roni's parents took me in. They've helped me with expenses and I pay them back when I get the money.

Sometimes Roni gets a too protective though. So the next time that Joe hits me I don't go to her, or anytime after that. By the time I get the courage to go to her, it's too late. We've graduated, I've paid her parents back, and she's moved back to New England and is getting married to a great guy named Nick Groff.

She invited me to the wedding and I was supposed to be the Maid of Honor, but Joe took me on a trip to England for a month, purposely too.

Seven Years Ago: 

"Babe, how do you like it?" Joe asks with a huge smile on his face.

He decided to move us to Las Vegas in hopes that I could get a good paying job in a nice restaurant and for him to get a better job in construction.

He got us a small one bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a joined kitchen and living room on the bad side of town to save money. He had sworn to me that it was a nice apartment, but I can tell that I'm going to have to paint it and invest in some area rugs.

He could see the change in my face and his smile dropped.

"It's nice. I'll just put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and get a few rugs to put under the coffee table and in our room."

I walked up to him and kiss him but he grabbed my hair and yanked me back.

"I spent good money on this place! You ungrateful little-"

I hadn't heard the rest of the sentence because he had pushed me into the edge of the counter and I had been knocked out cold.

Five Years Ago:

Joe punched me in the stomach hard and instantly I had known something was wrong. That's when it had dawned on him he had just punched his four months pregnant girlfriend in the stomach. As much as he had abused me, he had been excited about the baby. He had always wanted to be a father and had promised to himself multiple times while he had thought I was asleep that he would never lay a harmful hand on out child.

He watched as I doubled over in pain with tears in his eyes.

"Babe, oh God, what do I need to do?"

"Get me to the hospital!"

That had been the only time I had been able to yell at him without getting hit for my efforts. After they had removed the baby and we had buried her three days later, we lay in bed and cried for three weeks.

After he returned to work though, he went back to his self, and the beating got worse. He still blamed himself, but he took it out on me.

Three Years Ago:

"Joe, baby, please. I'm bleeding really badly." Joe had just smiled at me wickedly. He had known exactly what he was doing. He could see my eyes glaze over and had that sickening smile on his face as I passed out from blood loss and the concussion he knew I had.

I had awakened two days later in the hospital hooked up to machines and I could see the blood transfusion bag hanging on the IV line. Joe had been passed out on the seat next to the bed when the doctor walked in.

"Ms. Brabson, you scared us quite a bit. You lost a lot of blood, and we almost lost you a few times, but you're a fighter. We're going to keep you for a few more days to monitor everything."

Those had been the most peaceful days I had had in several years.

One Year Ago:

Joe decided that we needed to move when neighbors started asking about the crying coming from our apartment. He hadn't felt like dealing with the questions so he moved us to a slightly nicer apartment with thicker walls.

He obviously found something to blame on me within a few minutes of us being moved in. The pictures weren't straight. The TV wasn't at the right angle. The sheets weren't on right, the pillows where on the wrong side of the bed. Just little things that no one else would notice he would hit me.

I had more bruises that week than I had in eight years, but he kept promising that he loved me. That's the only reason that I stuck around.

Earlier Today:

Since we had moved into the apartment he had gotten a lot calmer. He had gotten a more demanding job. I filled in for a few chefs on leave at a few high-end restaurants. We were keeping busy and our next door neighbor was a cop so Joe had to try and keep quiet when he did lose control. I had really thought that he had changed, until this morning.

The cable guy had been at our apartment yesterday to fix a few things, and after he left I didn't move the TV to the right angle. This morning when he got off the grave-yard shift, he lost it.

The first opening I saw, I ran.

That's how I got to where I am now. On the way to my best friend's house, who I hadn't seen in years, in some strangers car, who just so happened to be my best friend's husband's co-worker and good friend.

**Here's CH. 2. It's a whole lot longer than the original Ch. 2, and gives insight into Joe and Electra's relationship, as well as a little into Electra and Roni's. **

**I hope you all like it.**

**Much love,**

**xxsarabethxx**


	3. Reunion

"Electra, stay with me here."

I hear a frantic Zak say through the haze in my brain. That's when I let my eyes snap open and I look around. Zak keeps staring at me with wide eyes and I can tell he's a little scared.

"I'm okay; it's just a minor concussion. Just try and keep me awake until we get there."

He nods his head slightly and looks at the road again. I run my hand down my face and think about how long the next 24 hours are going to seem. I've already been up for the past two days and I was hoping to sleep soon.

"Lectra, we're here."

I look up to see a beautiful two story home with a good size porch and lots of windows, the exact type of house Roni had always wanted in college. I'm so happy that she got it.

Zak walks around to my side of the car and helps me stand up. I start to fall forward and he catches me. He can tell that I'm not going to be able to walk anymore so he just picks me up bridle style as another car pulls into the driveway.

Aaron Goodwin jumps out of his car in a hurry and rushes over to us.

"Zak, dude, what happened?"

"I'll explain when we head out with Annabelle. Just get the door."

Aaron rushes ahead and opens the door and yells into the house that we're here. Then a little girl, maybe three comes rushing towards us.

"Uncle Zak!"

Before she can get to him Aaron scoops her up.

"Come on, let's go get your stuff and you, me, and Zak are going to go somewhere and have fun. How does that sound?"

I don't get to see her reaction because he walks upstairs with her and Zak takes me into the living room.

All of a sudden a worried looking Roni comes in with a bunch of first-aid stuff.

"Zak, Aaron's at the door with Annabelle's bag. Nick put her car seat in Aaron's jeep. Leave your keys here and Nick will move your car after you leave."

He goes to protest, but Roni cuts him off.

"Nick has driven your car before. It needs to be moved so that if she needs to go to the hospital that we can take the Tahoe instead of the Focus."

"Yea, bu-"

"No buts. If something happens I'll call you and Aaron if something happens. Annabelle's staying with Aaron tonight. You can get your car later. No go."

Zak doesn't try and argue this time; he just smiles at me and leaves.

"Guys can be so stupid sometimes!"

I smile at her when I see the look on her husband's face as he walks into the room.

"Well, nice to know I'm loved."

"I love you; it's just that sometimes guys don't get the hint. Can you go get some of my sweatpants and one of your baggier shirts for her to change into?"

He nods his head, kisses the top of her head, and walks back out of the room.

"Take your shirt off."

"Roni, I'm fine."

She gives me one of her pointed looks and I take my shirt off.

"Fine my ass. Lec, you have a huge gash on your stomach. What did he do to you?"

"I didn't have the TV at the right angle so he slashed my stomach with his pocket knife and threw me into the wall. I bolted after that."

"How did Zak find you, and how did you know that he would have my number?"

I blush a little before speaking.

"I kind of ran into him when I was running, and then after he punched Joe and threaten to call the cops, he said he was going to bring me here. I watch their show, so I knew it was you."

"If you knew that I lived in Vegas now, why in Sam's Hell did you not get a hold of me?"

"Joe said he would kill you and your family if I tried and talked to you."

Roni drops everything she's holding and sits next to me and pulls me into a hug.

"Lec, I'm sorry. I should have tried harder in college to do something about this."

We sit like this, us hugging and me in just a bra and jeans until Nick walks back in. He sits the clothes on the coffee table and picks up the first aid stuff that he'll need to use on the wound on my stomach.

"Roni, hold her hand. This stuff will sting, but it'll clean everything off and I'll be able to see if you need stitches or not."

Roni grabs my hand and we talk about how her parents are doing to keep me from focusing on the pain.

"When he gets done, we're calling them. They need to know that you're okay."

I nod my head and bite my lip as Nick gets done cleaning it up.

"It'll be fine. It's really shallow, but you'll need to keep an eye on it for infection. Are there any more open wounds?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure I have a slight concussion so I need to stay awake for the next 24 hours."

"Aaron's keeping Annabelle tonight so I'll stay up with you and we can watch movies. How does that sound?"

Roni gives me a huge smile so I have no choice but to say yes.

Two Hours Later:

I've just got off the phone with Ellen and George, Roni's parents, and I've never been more at peace in the last nine years. I know that I have them back, and that Roni's not mad at me. I know that no matter what happens that I have them.

"Lectra, Roni's got dinner ready."

Nick walks over to me on the couch and helps me up. We figured out an hour ago that I can't walk without getting dizzy, so for the foreseeable future I will have to be helped everywhere.

He helps me into the dining room and carefully sits me down in one of the chairs. Roni walks in with a big smile on her face as she sits down Broccoli Casserole, mashed potatoes, and rolls.

"Dig in. I had Nick go and get the stuff to make the casserole while you were on the phone. I figured you haven't had it since college."

"No, but I've tried really hard to make it like yours. It never turns out right."

"You mean the great culinary genius couldn't make a simple casserole?"

I stick my tongue out at her and we start eating.

**I've changed so many things in this story, but it's still the same plot line and still has the same characters. I'm hoping I've made it more interesting.**

**Much love, **

**xxsarabethxx**


	4. Where to Live, Where to Work

No one's P.O.V.

Aaron unlocks Nick and Roni's front door while Zak holds a sleeping Annabelle.

"Nick, Roni, we're back!"

Aaron walks into the living room and smiles as Zak walks upstairs to put Annabelle to bed. She had fussed all night about not being in her own bed at her own house, but she had fallen asleep as soon as she was in her car seat.

"Nick, dude, come on, get up. It's eight in the evening."

Nick jolts awake, and in the process wakes up Roni who was asleep in his side.

"What time did Lectra fall asleep Ron?"

"About an hour ago, because I fell asleep not long after."

Nick sighs in relief and stand carefully so he doesn't wake Electra up on his other side.

"Did you guys stay up all night?"

"We had to. Lectra had a concussion and couldn't go to sleep." Nick states through a yawn

Aaron just nods his head as Roni looks around.

"Where's Annabelle?"

"Zak's putting her in her bed. She stayed up all night too because she wasn't in her own bed."

Nick looks at the clock on the wall and sighs in relief.

"At least it's only an hour before her bed time."

Roni nods tiredly as Zak walks into the living room.

"She's passed out. She didn't even stir when I put her pajamas on her."

"That's good." Nick says and walks into the kitchen.

"Hey Zak, do you think you can carry Electra to the guest room without waking her up?"

Zak doesn't say anything, just picks her up and walks up stairs. He goes to the last door on the right and walks in. He gently lays her on one side of the bed and tears the other side down before moving her to that side and putting the covers over her. He smiles a little bit before walking down stairs to see Aaron standing awkwardly while Nick and Roni are in a heated discussion.

"It's just until she gets a job and up on her feet!"

"Roni, I understand that and I know that she's your best friend. But I don't want this Joe guy finding out where she's staying and hurting you and Annabelle. I don't want her hurt anymore than she is, but I definitely don't want you two hurt!"

Zak could tell that Roni was fuming and decided to step in. The last time they had a fight, both had walked away crying with Annabelle at his house and Nick at Aaron's.

"I can let her stay in my guest room. Joe's terrified of me, so he won't step foot on my property. That means Roni and Annabelle are safe, and so is Electra."

"Zak, you don't have to do that. I'm sure my parents would let her stay with them until she got a job. She's always liked New England anyway."

"If she wants to stay in Vegas she can stay with me."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You remember what happened the last time a girl was at your house." Aaron says skeptically.

"My mom and dad stay all the time. If she isn't going to harm me then whatever's in my house will leave her alone."

"Okay, fine, but we'll settle it in the morning after we've all slept. Zak, Aaron, thanks for watching Annabelle, but go home so we can go to bed."

They all say their goodbyes and leave Nick and Roni to go to their bed and sleep.

The Next Morning: Electra's P.O.V.

Everyone, including Zak and Aaron, are gathered around Nick and Roni's dining room table eating eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits, and monkey bread. Both Roni and I had woke up in a cooking mood so we went to it.

"Electra, are you planning on staying in Vegas, or are you going to move somewhere else?" Roni asks out of the blue.

"I'd like to stay in Vegas. A lot of the restaurants know that I don't mind filling in for the chefs when they're on leave, and I'm more likely to get a job here."

"Is there any type of food you prefer to cook?" Zak asks and Roni sends him a weird look, and he just shrugs his shoulders.

"Not really, why?" I ask skeptically.

"My mom's trying to find a new chef for her restaurant. Hers literally quiet last night and she called me crying."

"Are you being serious Zak?" Nick asks with caution and I start to get confused.

"I'm being dead serious. I can call her right now if you don't believe me."

"What are you guys talking about? I'm confused."

"Last night after Zak carried you to bed, we were talking about where you would stay until you got back on your feet."

"I figured I would just go back to my apartment." I say sincerely.

"No!" Every single one of them yells at me at once. I cringe a little.

"I at least need to get my stuff. All I have are the clothes that have blood on them that I was wearing when I got here."

"Aaron and I will take you to get your stuff, and if you WANT you can stay in the guest room at my house." Zak states and I laugh a little at how much he emphasizes wants.

"You don't have to do that Zak, I can…" I leave off because I don't really know what I'm going to do. I have nowhere to stay and no money to my name.

"You can stay with me, and I'm sure mom would be excited to hire you in."

I just nod my head in thanks and stare at my plate embarrassed.

**So much different! I can't believe this is the same story I started two years ago. No wonder I kept getting writer's block. I sucked at writing!**

**I hope you all like it**

**Much love,**

**xxsarabethxx**


	5. Final Goodbye?

We pull up in front of my apartment building at three that evening and I try not to cry. This is actually really sad and I don't know why. I'm turning the page on a bad part of my life, and I'm starting over again. And this time I have my best friend and three new ones to help me.

"He shouldn't be home. He's been working a swing shift and this week he goes in at two and gets off at ten."

They nod their heads as I punch the code into the building. I go to the mail box to see if he had even checked it and I run into our neighbor, Officer Shepherd.

"Hey, Electra, I've missed seeing you around. Joe said you were staying with some family."

"Yea, we got into a disagreement and I went to a really good friend. He tried and apologized, but I won't hear it."

"What happened?"

I say the first thing that comes to mind and I thank God that Zak and Aaron are out of ear shot.

"A few years ago I had a miscarriage and I told him I didn't want to try anymore because my mom had had so many miscarriages. We got into an argument about it, and he called me a few choice names."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but haven't you two been together for a long time. I figured you two would be able to work through something like this."

"Normally we would, but all we've done is argue lately. And I found out last night that he's been cheating on me. That's where I draw the line."

"That's understandable. Where are you going to be staying?"

"A friends house, but only until I can get on my feet again. If you ever see Joe around, can you remind him to check the mail? We may not be on good terms, but I don't want him to get kicked out for not paying his bills."

"Will, do Electra. Good luck in the future."

I walk back over to Zak and Aaron with mail in hand and then lead them to the apartment.

"Who was that?" Aaron asks curiously.

"He lives next door. He's actually a cop and the reason Joe hasn't killed me yet. He knew not to get to the point that Officer Shepherd would start questioning things."

They just nod their heads as I lead them into the apartment.

I look around to see beer bottles on the coffee table, a luke-warm pot of coffee on the counter, and take out boxes filling the trash can. I walk into our bedroom and pull out my suitcase. His dirty clothes are thrown all around the room and I can see form here that the bathroom is disgusting.

"Hey, Aaron, can you get the jewelry box out of the top of the closet? Joe never knows where it's at so it's all the way back where he can't see it."

"Sure thing," he hollers back from the living room.

I get the suitcase full of my clothes shut and put all my make-up, perfume, and my deodorant in the front of the bag.

"I'll get this. Why don't you go around and make sure you have everything you need so you never have to come back?"

I nod my head as he goes and waits by the door with Aaron.

I grab the notebook off the dresser and flip to an empty page and grab a pen.

_ Dear Joe,_

_ I know that you're pissed, but I'm leaving. I'm tired of always getting hurt. I'm tired of never knowing if I'm going to live to see another day._

_ You promised me in college that you would protect me, but you couldn't protect me from yourself. I know I shouldn't, but I still love you. You had your moments where you were the sweetest person in the world, but then you would turn at the drop of a hat, literally. I can't live like this for the rest of my life. _

_ I'm leaving the ring you gave me and my key to the apartment with this note. I don't want you looking for me, and I don't want you to hurt any of my friends. They're just trying to help me._

_ Much love, _

_Electra_

I sit the notebook on the bed and slip the ring off my finger and the key out of my pocket. I carefully sit them on top of the note and I walk away. I walk away from the life I've lived for nine years, the life I never thought I would get away from, and I walk into my new life. I life that I have hope for.

**I'm getting closer to knowing how to end this, but don't worry. There's going to be several more chapters.**

**Much love,**

**xxsarabethxx**


	6. Ghosts and Hot Chocolate

I roll over in my temporary bed at Zak's utterly confused as to why I'm awake. I've completely moved in. I feel welcomed. Hell, I even made Zak and Aaron dinner before they left.

I feel like I'm being watched, but I know for a fact that Zak's asleep because I can hear him snore in the other room. That's when I look over and see the glowing eyes in the corner of my room. I scream before I can stop myself and I start breathing really heavy.

Zak comes bursting into my room with wide eyes looking around. That's when he looks at me and sees me staring in the corner.

"Hey, Lec, it's alright. It's fine. It won't hurt you. Did it have the glowing eyes?" I nod my head and try to slow my breathing. "She's the one that watches over me. That means she knows you're not a threat. It's okay."

He pulls me into a hug and I just lay my head on his chest. I knew that he had said that there are things that follow him home, but it didn't click until now that I'll be seeing those things.

"I'm okay now. It just scared me to see eyes in the corner."

"If it had been a full body apparition I would have been scared for you and would have sent you straight to Aaron's." I laugh a little and let the rest of the tension drain from my shoulders. "Do you want to go watch movies in the living room until we go to sleep?"

"What time is it?"

"One I think." He says skeptically.

"Let's try and go back to sleep. We're both tired and I have to go talk with your mom tomorrow at noon."

"Okay, if you need anything don't hesitate to wake me up."

He kisses the top of my head before he lets go and walks from my room. I crawl back under the sheet and close my eyes.

Three hours later I give up and sit up. I see Zak walk past my door towards the living room and hear the TV turn on down stairs a few minutes later. I sneak out of my room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen without him noticing.

I move around the kitchen silently making hot chocolate and petting Gracie and Ridley to keep them quiet.

When I get it done I walk into the living room with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows and chocolate shavings.

"I didn't even know you were up. How can you make this stuff look perfect?"

"Culinary School and I got up about the time you turned the TV on."

"And you slipped passed me without me knowing?" He asks playfully as I sit next to him and hand him his cup.

I just give him a smile before sipping on my hot chocolate.

"What are you doing after you talk with my mom?"

"Roni and I are heading to my old storage unit so I can get some old clothes and pictures and my car."

"You have a car?"

"Yea, my dad and I rebuilt a '67 Chevy Impala SS when I was a teenager, but Joe made me put it in storage when we moved out here."

"Is that going to be your everyday car?"

I nod my head and watch as he takes his first sip of the hot chocolate.

"Good God, how did you make this?"


	7. Old Memories

**If you are skipping straight to this chapter I'd go back to the first one. You'll be extremely confused. I've re-wrote this whole story and adding more as much as I can.**

I roll the door up to my storage unit to see everything where I left it last.

"What all is in here?" Roni asks from behind me.

"All my parent's old furniture, my clothes from college, pictures, heirlooms, and this beauty."

I pull the cover off my car and I see Roni's eyes light up.

"I haven't seen this since college. It's been here since you moved out here?"

I nod my head and open the trunk to see the rest of my grandmother's jewelry. I only kept the less valuable pieces with me when I was with Joe, but I trust Zak and I know he won't try and sell them or pawn them.

"Where are the pictures? I want to look through them."

"That stack of boxes in the corner over there."

I point in the general direction while I carefully put the jewelry back in its rightful place in the jewelry box.

"You still have pictures form the ABC party?"

"Thought I might show them to Nick sometime," I say with a big smile on my face.

"You wouldn't dare!"

I stick my tongue out at her before carefully sliding the jewelry box to the back of the trunk. I turn to a stack of boxes with my clothes in them and open the top. It's all old shirts and I smile even wider when I see all the band shirts and skulls. I put that box in my trunk and move to the next. It's full of all the dresses I was forced to wear to church so I put it on the ground next to the rear right wheel. The next box is the jack pot. It has all my cargo pants and skinny jeans. The next one's even better. It's full of my converse, vans, DCs, and Doc Martin's. I get those three boxes into the trunk and shut it.

"Help me look for some pictures. I want one of me and you, and one of my family when they were alive."

She pulled out the one of her, her parents, and me in front of their house right before our last first day of college. Then she pulls one of my family in front of my old house.

"What are you going to do with the rest of this stuff?"

"Eventually I'm going to make some scrap books with the pictures, I'll go through the furniture, and donate the clothes in that box. The car, I'm driving it. It's been neglected long enough. I'm hoping it'll start and run fine long enough for me to get it back to Zak's, then I'm to tune it up and check everything."

"Do you everything you needed?" I nod my head. "Then start her up. I'll follow you to Zak's then drive you to my house. All the guys are there with Annabelle."

I get in the front seat of my car. It takes two or three times before it catches, but once it starts it sounds like it did when I parked it in here.

I pull her out of the unit and Roni closes it and locks it behind me.

We pull up to her house and get out.

"What do you think Zak will say when he sees the car parked in his drive-way?" Roni asks.

"He knows about it." She just nods her head at my reply as she opens the door.

"Guys, we're back!"

Nick comes running from the dining room and leads Roni to the kitchen and points toward the dining room behind his back when she's not looking. I take the hint and walk toward the dining room. I see Zak down on all fours trying to get little pieces of paper out of the floor and Aaron scrubbing the glue of the table.

"Why does it look like a craft store threw up in here?"

"We were trying to keep Annabelle occupied. We got a little messy."

"Obviously," I say and start helping get paper off the floor before grabbing the rag from Aaron and getting the glue off in one swipe.

"How did you do that?"

"You were using too much pressure. Did you get all the paper Zak?"

He stands up, letting his back pop. He nods his head as he walks to the trash can and throws the paper away.

"Did you drive here or do you need a ride back?"

"Roni drove me."

"How about we head to Sushi Roku? You ever eat there?"

"I worked there for about four months while the main chef was on maternity leave."

He smiles at me before Aaron throws the rag in his face.

"I'm going to go say bye to Nick and Roni… Guys, let's leave here really fast and act like we didn't get it cleaned up. That why we can freak Nick out!"

They smile at me and we head towards the door.

"Bye Roni, see you later. Bye Nick!"

We run through the door as Nick asks us to wait desperately.

**I hope you guys like it. I've spent the past 4 hours typing up these first seven chapters. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to tell me.**

**Much love, **

**xxsarabethxx**


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